A Piano Superstar

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Question: What do all these songs (and albums) have in common?

Beatles
Hey Jude
Martha My Dear
Honey Pie
Bowie
Changes
Life On Mars?
Oh! You Pretty Things
Suffragette city
Lady Stardust
Aladdin Sane
Let's Spend the Night Together
The Rolling Stones
Jiving Sister Fanny
Downtown Susie
Nilsson
Without You
Gotta Get Up
Spaceman
You're Breakin' My Heart
Lou Reed
Perfect Day
Satellite of Love
Ringo Starr
It Don't Come Easy
George Harrison
Parts of album All Things Must Pass
Carly Simon
You're So Vain
The Right Thing To Do
Elton John
Your Song
Border song
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Madman Across the Water
Supertramp
Bloody Well Right
Crime of the Century
Queen
Killer Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody
Genesis
Albums Nursery Crime and Trespass
T.Rex
Album T.Rex

Answer: It was the very same piano that played on all of them. This one:



It was a 100-year-old Bechstein grand piano, kind of hard to play, with very stiff action, and it lived at Trident studios in England from 1968 and through the 70's. But what a recognizable sound when played by people like Paul McCartney, Rick Wakeman, Mick Ronson, Nicky Hopkins, Elton John...

I wonder how many other superstar instruments are out there that have a resume like this one?

[beatlefreak]

Image not showing up, Mark.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Hmmm...I see it. But it's here: http://www.5years.com/tridentpiano.jpg

[bottom4]

wow! that is amazing!!! IMO!

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

wow! that is amazing!!! IMO!

It amazed me too. I wonder what other superstar instruments are out there...there must be more. Certain microphones at Gold Star or EastWest...lots of history in certain instruments or equipment pieces. But this piano is one we can all recognize just by thinking about it...Elton John's intro to "Your Song"...Freddy Mercury tinkling through "Bohemian Rhapsody"...Rick Wakeman banging out the chords behind "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes"...Mick Ronson playing that awesome intro to "Lady Stardust"...Carly playing the Carole King-like"You're So Vain" riff...McCartney playing "Hey Jude"...man, I can hear every one of those. It's the sound I always want on my own stuff, bright and crisp and thick.

A fellow who posts on the Gearslutz board had this tale to tell:

When Trident Studios was sold to Tape One in 1987, the piano was badly damaged as it was being moved to Trident 2 (which WAS in the Victoria area and still owned by Trident at the time!). The cradle supporting the piano broke as it was being extracted from Studio 1 and the piano went tumbling down the stairs! This happened in front of me, so I know what I'm talking about! The frame was split and the harp cracked! The bits were then crated off to Trident 2 where I understand it was eventually rebuilt before being sold. I have no idea who eventually bought it, but it was rumored to have gone to the U.S.

I understand the most recent sale of the piano racked up something like $350,000.

[nukebass]

Wasn't Killer Queen recorded on an upright piano?

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Wasn't Killer Queen recorded on an upright piano?

Could well be, Ryan...I made this list myself, and the only thing I can back up factually is that these tracks were recorded at Trident (and not always exclusively). I would guess a good 90% of it really was the Bechstein...but I couldn't say with absolute certainty.

Still...that's one ubiquitous instrument.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Well, hang on--Wikipedia says a grand piano was also used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Queen

Besides using a grand piano as usual, Mercury overdubbed the song with an upright (credited as "jangle piano"), to give the track a vaudeville sound. At one point there are two bass guitars, one of which does a descending run. Contrary to songs for the first two Queen albums, this one was partly recorded outside England, at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

...but an upright was also overdubbed, and it was "partly recorded" at Rockfield. Most of the album is credited to Trident...so I guess I'm just assuming the Bechstein was the grand.

[nukebass]

Well, hang on--Wikipedia says a grand piano was also used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Queen

Besides using a grand piano as usual, Mercury overdubbed the song with an upright (credited as "jangle piano"), to give the track a vaudeville sound. At one point there are two bass guitars, one of which does a descending run. Contrary to songs for the first two Queen albums, this one was partly recorded outside England, at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

...but an upright was also overdubbed, and it was "partly recorded" at Rockfield. Most of the album is credited to Trident...so I guess I'm just assuming the Bechstein was the grand.

We all know how accurate Wikipedia is I didn't hear two different pianos in the song, but maybe only the intro bars are the upright? I'm also not sure where the wikipedia author gets there are two bass guitars from. I'm almost certain there is a single bass, especially since all those fills were played live. (as an aside, the descending bass run in Killer Queen is always mis-transcribed, even by the guy playing with "Queen" now. It was played on one string...)

I'm a big Queen fan so I was just being picky. I will at some point go back and compare the piano sounds on the early Elton John stuff with the early Queen stuff, though. Can you imagine being around Trident studios in the early 70s with all the bands that went through? It must have been an exciting time.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Hang on...you mean, Wikipedia is sometimes...wrong??